Stereolithography-Based Rectenna for Wireless Energy Harvesting
Résumé
This paper introduces a 2D-rectenna for ambient Radio Frequency (RF) energy harvesting co-fabricated onto an object using a plastronic approach. The first experimental prototype focuses on 2.45 GHz Wi-Fi band using a linear polarization patch antenna with the microstrip line transmission feeding method connected to a series topology rectifier. The prototype is fabricated using a combination of an Additive Manufacturing (AM) method - Stereolithography (SLA) - and electroless deposition of copper, which would allow creating antennas and RF circuits on 3D substrates. The electromagnetic properties of the purposely manufactured 2D substrate as well as the characteristics of metallized conductor are studied. The results are used to check the impacts of new materials on the performances of the antenna and to help designing rectennas. The measured rectified voltage is 72 mV giving a RF-to-DC conversion efficiency of 13% when working at an RF input power of -24 dBm. The presented prototype is studied to check the possibility of applying the emerging fabrication method to create the antennas and RF circuits in wireless energy harvesting applications.